Florida schools locked down; government buildings threatened

The threat of a school shooting locked down multiple schools in Florida. Image: Flickr / gideon / CC-BY-SA

Broward County, the second-largest county in Florida, has locked down schools because of a threat of a shooting. About 260,000 students are in the Broward County school district, and at least 17 schools are under lockdown. The e-mailed threat also mentioned Broward County government buildings, possibly post offices or libraries.

Broward County, Florida, schools locked down

The Florida school lockdown first began in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Pembroke Pines. The lockdown was then expanded to include all 17 schools and 260,000 students in the school district. School spokeswoman Nadine Drew said that the schools are “operating as normal as possible.” In general, lockdowns mean that nobody can move in or out of school buildings, and usually into or out of classrooms. The lockdown will continue until police completely clear the buildings.

Threat to Broward County, Florida

The schools were shut down after a woman called a radio station saying that her husband was “going to a school to start shooting” An e-mail was also sent to the station, which was forwarded on to authorities in Broward County claimed that “something big was going to happen” around government buildings. Police said that the identities of the man and his wife are not yet confirmed. The threat, however, is no longer considered serious.

Lockdowns at schools

The practice of “locking down” schools is relatively new. It is common for both U.S. and Canadian schools to now hold “lockdown drills.” Most commonly, a lockdown confines teachers and students to their classrooms. The theory is that this will restrict movements and keep everyone within the school more safe. The Broward County school district has about 300 schools and has been holding lockdown drills for the last few years.